Saddle bronc rider Todd Herzog checks his equipment, which includes a helmet. (CBC)

A registry of serious rodeo injuries and deaths suggests more can be done to keep riders safe, says a Calgary researcher.

The Professional Rodeo Catastrophic Injury Registry, established in July 2007, has received reports of 18 rodeo deaths and 27 serious injuries dating back to 1992.

The deadliest accidents happen in bull riding, junior bull riding and boys steer riding, said Dale Butterwick, a kinesiology professor at the University of Calgary Sport Medicine Centre, on Tuesday.

Early indications suggest that current rodeo equipment worn by cowboys may not be adequate. The majority of deaths came from injury to the rider's body but two were related to head trauma.

"There are two cases of fatalities directly due to head injuries and they did not have helmets on," said Butterwick, who is also a board member of the Canadian Pro Rodeo Sport Medicine Team. "Conversely, there are lots of cases of fatalities due to thoracic compression where the rider was wearing a [protective] vest."

The registry update comes on the first week of the annual Calgary Stampede, where a rider's horse collapsed, causing her to fall and hit her head during team cattle penning. Amy Carver is in hospital with a serious head injury and a broken shoulder blade.

A junior steer rider was also taken to hospital — as a precaution — after a steer fell on him during competition.

Helmets seen as anti-rodeo

Mandating helmets for rodeo events is still a sensitive topic, even among competitors who must wear them.

Todd Herzog was 15 when he was bucked off a horse and kicked in the head, leaving him with a blood clot in his brain that required surgery. Since then, he has to wear a helmet during saddle bronc riding for protection.

Nolan Jans of Maple Creek, Sask., was taken to hospital as a precaution after a steer fell on him Monday. (CBC)

But Herzog, now 29, believes forcing everyone to don head protection goes against the spirit of rodeo.

"I don't agree with everybody having to wear one. I wear one because I have to and I want to keep competing and doing what I love," he said.

"There's a lot more cowboys getting killed driving to and from rodeos that never get killed at a rodeo," said Sam Kelts, a saddle bronc rider who does not wear a helmet. "You're risking your life walking across the street really, you could get hit by a bus."

Butterwick and his research team plan to compile the data for publication in the future, as they look at ways to prevent serious rodeo injuries such as paralysis.

Butterwick sent notifications to rodeo associations around the world, including in Australia, Brazil and Mexico, but so far the injury reports have come only from North America.